Houzz Tour: Smart Space Planning Enhances a London Terrace House
By moving a few walls and relocating the kitchen, a remodel has added extra space to this family home
The owners of this London-based Victorian house had lived here for a few years before they called on the help of Ross Malone of Orchestrate. “They wanted to remodel the house and fix issues from a previous development,” he says. He worked with the clients to remodel the floor plan, moving the kitchen into the centre of the house and adding a downstairs cloakroom.
“The existing sub-floor needed to be replaced, too,” Malone explains. “Leaking underfloor heating had rotted the joists, so we installed new heating pipes and replaced all of the ground level floors.”
“The existing sub-floor needed to be replaced, too,” Malone explains. “Leaking underfloor heating had rotted the joists, so we installed new heating pipes and replaced all of the ground level floors.”
Fitting sliding doors into the dining room was a clever way of maximising space, as they don’t swing out into the footprint of the room. Two glazed panels are attached to a ‘mirror’ mechanism, which allows the two doors to open simultaneously like a pair of curtains.
The owners chose striking hexagonal tiles for the flooring, which works well with the monochrome theme in the rest of the space and Malone stripped back the staircase and painted it in an almost-black stain.
Floor tiles, Mandarin Stone. Walls painted in Blackened, Farrow & Ball.
The owners chose striking hexagonal tiles for the flooring, which works well with the monochrome theme in the rest of the space and Malone stripped back the staircase and painted it in an almost-black stain.
Floor tiles, Mandarin Stone. Walls painted in Blackened, Farrow & Ball.
The cloakroom made good use of the space between the kitchen and hallway. It’s a small room, so rather than trying to make it appear larger, the couple chose a dark colour to create a cosy space.
Walls painted in Pitch Blue, Farrow & Ball. Basin, Grohe.
Check out more compact cloakrooms on Houzz
Walls painted in Pitch Blue, Farrow & Ball. Basin, Grohe.
Check out more compact cloakrooms on Houzz
In the dining room, Malone and his team left the fireplace where it was, but created cohesion by using the hallway tiles for the hearth.
“The restored coving and architrave details throughout the house are quite special,” says Malone. “You can see this particularly in the architrave at the corner of the sliding door – it bucks out slightly to form a kind of stop. It’s a technique that was used by Georgian joiners and is really satisfying to look at.”
“The restored coving and architrave details throughout the house are quite special,” says Malone. “You can see this particularly in the architrave at the corner of the sliding door – it bucks out slightly to form a kind of stop. It’s a technique that was used by Georgian joiners and is really satisfying to look at.”
The wide front window was the perfect spot for a bench seat with pull-out storage underneath. The Orchestrate team also fitted a glass cabinet in the corner of the room.
A view from the dining area into the open-plan kitchen and living space beyond shows how moving the kitchen from the rear of the house into the middle has made full use of all areas of the property.
The central kitchen has plenty of storage in the form of base cabinets, two-tiered wall units, and cupboards above the ovens and fridge-freezer. The three long panels between the fridge and ovens have been positioned to cover the recess that forms the cloakroom behind. “We wanted to make the space as seamless as possible,” says Malone.
A coffered ceiling forms a bulkhead around the wall units and has allowed downlights to be fitted without the usual rings showing around them. Hammered copper pendants in the centre provide more general lighting, while under-unit spots illuminate the work surfaces.
HB632GBS1B built-in single electric oven; wine fridge; hob, all Siemens. RF540ADUSX4 Goliath 3-door fridge-freezer, Fisher & Paykel. Sink and taps, Grohe. Pendant lamps, Mr Resistor.
Discover how to light dropped ceilings and coffers
A coffered ceiling forms a bulkhead around the wall units and has allowed downlights to be fitted without the usual rings showing around them. Hammered copper pendants in the centre provide more general lighting, while under-unit spots illuminate the work surfaces.
HB632GBS1B built-in single electric oven; wine fridge; hob, all Siemens. RF540ADUSX4 Goliath 3-door fridge-freezer, Fisher & Paykel. Sink and taps, Grohe. Pendant lamps, Mr Resistor.
Discover how to light dropped ceilings and coffers
The walnut veneer cabinets with melamine interiors contrast well with the marble-effect worktops and splashback.
The push-release cabinets have no need for a handle, so the kitchen stays sleek and simple.
Kitchen cabinets, Linear London.
The push-release cabinets have no need for a handle, so the kitchen stays sleek and simple.
Kitchen cabinets, Linear London.
The rear extension, which was already in place, used to be the kitchen. Malone’s team replastered and decorated the room. They also upgraded the patio doors.
The entire ground-level flooring had to be ripped up and replaced, as the underfloor heating had been leaking. The team installed a concrete slab with floor joists and insulation, followed by a layer of plywood and more insulation. They then fitted new underfloor heating and covered the whole thing with engineered limed-oak boards.
Flooring, Trunk. Wall lights, Mr Resistor.
The entire ground-level flooring had to be ripped up and replaced, as the underfloor heating had been leaking. The team installed a concrete slab with floor joists and insulation, followed by a layer of plywood and more insulation. They then fitted new underfloor heating and covered the whole thing with engineered limed-oak boards.
Flooring, Trunk. Wall lights, Mr Resistor.
Malone replaced the fireplace with a new surround and the clients chose the space above the mantel to position the TV. Malone placed all its subsidiary devices in the cupboard to the left and fitted them to just one cable. This now runs up through a conduit wall to the screen above.
Stepped joinery on the right forms boxed shelving, while low cabinets sit either side of the fireplace.
Stepped joinery on the right forms boxed shelving, while low cabinets sit either side of the fireplace.
“The ceilings throughout the house were previously covered with downlights,” says Malone. “We ripped them out and replaced them with cosier pendants, wall lights and 5 amp lamps. It’s something we do on a lot of projects now.”
The two children’s bedrooms have matching décor. This room on the first floor already had a glazed balustrade at the French doors.
Walls painted in Pink Ground; Feather Grass wallpaper, both Farrow & Ball.
Walls painted in Pink Ground; Feather Grass wallpaper, both Farrow & Ball.
The couple are lucky enough to have separate bathrooms, which have been designed in similar styles. This masculine version is completely tiled and contains a walk-in shower.
Tiles, Fired Earth. Sanitaryware, Grohe.
Tiles, Fired Earth. Sanitaryware, Grohe.
The other bathroom has a dado panel of decorative tiles, which adds a feminine detail to the space. There’s also a bath in this room, rather than a shower.
In the master bedroom, the existing cabinets were given new door fronts and internals. “We assumed there was a fireplace in-between the cabinets, but when we started drilling, we discovered a void behind the wall,” says Malone. “We knocked down the faux wall and were left with a space that’s perfect for a chest of drawers.
The team once again replaced downlights with a pendant and wall lights.
Walls and cabinets painted in Tallow; Brocade wallpaper, both Farrow & Ball.
The team once again replaced downlights with a pendant and wall lights.
Walls and cabinets painted in Tallow; Brocade wallpaper, both Farrow & Ball.
The stairs leading up to the loft space were an ideal spot for a utility area. A purpose-built cupboard behind the left-hand wall houses a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer. “We soundproofed the cupboard with insulation to prevent the noise waking up the house,” says Malone.
The teal walls give the loft bedroom a cosy feel, and help to highlight the architrave detail around the bathroom door.
Walls painted in Oval Room Blue, Farrow & Ball.
Walls painted in Oval Room Blue, Farrow & Ball.
A patterned curtain hangs at the door to the Juliet balcony.
Brocade wallpaper, Farrow & Ball. Curtains, owners’ own.
Brocade wallpaper, Farrow & Ball. Curtains, owners’ own.
The loft bathroom was remodelled to accommodate the new adjacent utility space. The washroom is now almost completely tiled and, as in the other bathrooms, a bespoke mirror is lined with an LED strip light.
Sanitaryware, Grohe. Tiles, Fired Earth.
Sanitaryware, Grohe. Tiles, Fired Earth.
The other child’s bedroom is located on the second floor and benefits from a large Velux window fitted into the pitched roof.
In this room, a chimney breast was replaced with joinery that contains useful storage.
What do you like about this reconfigured Victorian terrace? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What do you like about this reconfigured Victorian terrace? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A couple with their two young children
Location Clapham, southwest London
Property A Victorian terraced house
Size 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a cloakroom
Designer Ross Malone of Orchestrate
Photos by Chris Snook
With a young family, the owners of this house needed space in the hallway for buggies, shoes, bikes and scooters, so Ross Malone and his team enlarged the area. The wall to the left previously sat flush, but the Orchestrate team pushed it back into the dining room to open up the area.
Behind the protruding wall is a cloakroom and lots of storage. Three doors at the top hide 1m-deep cupboards for large items, such as suitcases, and at the back are useful open shelves.